Alternatively-fueled motor vehicles, i.e., those which operate solely or partially on a fuel other than gasoline or diesel fuel, are proliferating. Many such alternate fuel vehicles use fuel injectors that draw fuel from a tank that stores the alternate fuel in a highly pressurized, normally gaseous state. It is known to use a pressure regulator to control fuel pressure supplied to the fuel injectors, wherein the pressure regulator attempts to maintain a constant outlet pressure as tank pressure varies and/or as fuel flow rate varies.
Known pressure regulators typically include a body having a relatively short and straight high pressure fluid circuit for routing fuel from an inlet to a pressure regulating chamber. Such a fluid circuit, however, does not provide much opportunity for heat transfer to occur between the body and the fuel. As a result, it is difficult to sufficiently heat fuel so as to prevent hydrate formation in such regulators.